Using the 60:1 rule, at 60 miles from a VOR, 1 degree off course equals how many miles off?

Using the 60:1 rule, at 60 miles from a VOR, 1 degree off course equals how many miles off?

• A. 0.5 mile
• B. 1 mile
• C. 1.5 miles
• D. 2 miles

Answer: (B)

The 60:1 rule links distance from the VOR to how far off course you are for a given degree of deviation. At 60 nautical miles from the VOR, a 1° error in course translates to about 1 nautical mile off your intended track. This comes from the geometry: off-course distance ≈ distance to the VOR × tan(1°). Since tan(1°) ≈ 0.01745, 60 × 0.01745 ≈ 1.05 NM, which is essentially 1 NM. In practice, that’s about 1 mile off course.

The 60:1 rule links distance from the VOR to how far off course you are for a given degree of deviation. At 60 nautical miles from the VOR, a 1° error in course translates to about 1 nautical mile off your intended track. This comes from the geometry: off-course distance ≈ distance to the VOR × tan(1°). Since tan(1°) ≈ 0.01745, 60 × 0.01745 ≈ 1.05 NM, which is essentially 1 NM. In practice, that’s about 1 mile off course.